Abstract

Purpose

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been recognized as an independent risk factor for the development and progression of atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to investigate the changes in heart rate and atrial and ventricular ectopy after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment in patients with OSA and AF.

Methods

Consecutive patients with AF underwent ambulatory sleep monitoring, and OSA was defined as an Apnea-Hypopnea-Index (AHI) ≥ 5/h. Treated patients completed in-laboratory CPAP titration study. A 24-h ECG Holter was performed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after CPAP treatment.

Notes

Acknowledgments

We appreciate the collaboration and administrative support of the staff at the Sleep and Alertness Clinic, the Cardiomatters Diagnostics, and the Atrial Fibrillation Clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, ON, Canada. We acknowledge the support of the Neurozone MSH Inc. Canada and the CPAP Direct Ltd.

Funding

The Neurozone MSH Inc. Canada provided the equipment of home sleep testing for participants in the study. CPAP devices and supplies were provided by the CPAP Direct Ltd.

Compliance with ethical standards

Ethical approval was obtained from University Health Network and St. Michael’s Hospital Research Ethics Boards.

Conflict of interest

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CS has shares in the Neurozone MSH Inc. Canada which provided the equipment for the ambulatory sleep testing and the analysis of the sleep reports testing system. AA, DN, and PD have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.